IN-DEPTH FEATURESGiving the World an Idea of What a Genuine Mussar Scholar
Is . . .(from the Introduction to Ho'odom Biyekor)
Glimpses of the Mashgiach, HaRav Shlomo Wolbe, zt'l

by Rabbi H. Helman

The Secret of Growth

A pivotal aspect of the Mashgiach's character that
underscored several seemingly unrelated things about him was
his extreme self-effacement — examples abound
throughout this article. He never accorded himself any
special status whatsoever, and would recoil from any display
of honor that was meant for him. Among the hundreds of
written replies that he sent to questioners, he often
expressed his wonder to them that they had addressed him as
hagaon hatzaddik, since - - he would clarify —
he was neither a gaon nor a tzaddik.

His talmid HaRav Uri Weissblum put it well when he
pointed out that anyone who reads HaRav Wolbe's testament can
easily discern his radiant character in every word. "Even if
he wouldn't have written these things in his will everyone
would have realized that this was what he wanted," he
commented.

"To this day," HaRav Weissblum added, "I clearly remember him
arguing on the telephone with someone and not agreeing to his
name being put on a notice. After a while he told him,
`Write, Shin Vov [his initials]. That's more than
enough.' The Mashgiach was adamant about this and said that
if they didn't do what he was asking he wouldn't attend the
meeting in question."

In a shmuess to the bnei hayeshiva he once said
that he knew that all who were present were greater than he.
He added that the only reason that he was prepared to deliver
mussar shmuessen to them was the fact that he had seen
and had heard shmuessen from Reb Yeruchom zt'l
for two years.

Arriving at a simchah, the crowd began singing
Yomim al yemei melech in his honor. The Mashgiach was
aghast and asked, "Who are they singing that for?" When he
was told that it was for someone else, he joined the circle
of dancers and sang along with all the others.

Though it might seem ironical, this very negation of his
sense of self-importance (but not of self worth!) was the key
to his maximizing his potential and achieving so much in so
many different fields. Throughout his life he annulled
himself completely to his rebbe, Reb Yeruchom, and to
his teachings. He kept on exploring the profundity of Chazal
through the prism of Reb Yeruchom's ideas and thereby merited
developing a world of new ideas, interpretations and
insights, all built on his teacher's foundations. He always
felt himself to be a talmid (perhaps mislameid,
an apprentice, is closer to our meaning), never a rounded,
finished product.

And it was not only to Reb Yeruchom that he annulled himself;
he constantly sought further wisdom and instruction wherever
it was to be found. As a young man, he visited the gedolei
Torah of the time and even when advanced in years he
would travel regularly to hear words of yir'oh from a
godol some twenty years his junior.

Thanks to his constant reworking and rethinking, he always
continued growing and was a fount of freshness and novelty.
He shared his rich inner world with countless others, both
within the yeshiva world and without, in all walks of life,
of differing ages and generations. He knew how to convey
whatever lesson he wished to impart to the particular
audience he was addressing, lucidly and in terms and language
that made it relevant and immediate to them — because
it was always relevant and immediate to him.

He succeeded in imparting not only his teachings, but the
very essence of his own growth. It has been observed that
HaRav Wolbe is unique in our times in having left behind a
generation of genuine talmidim. They became his
talmidim in the same way that he became Reb
Yeruchom's. They built and developed themselves by devoting
themselves unstintingly to his teachings and to implementing
the practical guidance that he provided for them. This
constant quest for new depth, new insight and new inspiration
in eternal and already well traversed teachings is one of the
cornerstones of mussar.

Accounting for Every Penny(1): One Yid's
Example

He once told the members of a vaad about a solitary
Yid in Bnei Brak who eked out a livelihood as a worker
and sent most of his income every month to yeshivos. He
valued Torah study to such an extent that he walked to work
every day so that he could add his travel allowance to the
amounts that he donated.

After he passed away, many roshei yeshiva participated in the
stone setting at his graveside. Also present was a friend of
the niftar's who had assisted him in sending off his
donations. He described his friend's thrift and his frugal
way of living, so that he would be able to give most of his
funds to the yeshivos.

HaRav Wolbe was the next speaker. One of the points he made
was that after learning about what great care the
niftar took with every penny in order to divert most
of his means to yeshivos, it was doubly incumbent on roshei
yeshiva and directors of institutions to be scrupulous about
knowing exactly how every penny they received was spent.

A Thorough Accounting

HaRav Wolbe's brother-in-law, HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth
zt'l, said that HaRav Avrohom Kalmanovitz zt'l
told him that after the war he received a letter from HaRav
Wolbe containing a meticulous listing of every single expense
he incurred in the course of his hatzoloh work during
the war. He even returned the change.

"Amid the chaos that reigned in those days, he was the only
one out of many from whom I received change from the funds
that he'd received from me," said HaRav Kalmanovitz. When the
Brisker Rov zt'l heard this he was extremely
impressed.

A Caseful of Money

Similarly, family members relate that while he was in Sweden
and engaged in setting up institutions for the refugees, he
would carry a valise filled with money with him everywhere.
In a rare moment of self-exposure he once observed that he
had never once taken a farthing from those funds for his
personal expenses. This was at a time when he lacked money
for his basic needs. As he put it, he didn't even take "a
lefele tei (a spoon of tea)" from the money in his case,
even for expenses incurred in pursuing the purposes for which
the funds had been given him.

When his friend HaRav Mordechai Zuckerman zt'l heard
this he commented that it was surely in this merit that he
received Heavenly assistance in spreading Torah and yiras
Shomayim.

True Beauty

A carpenter who had not long before done some work in HaRav
Wolbe's home on the yeshiva campus in Be'er Yaakov called on
him one day and asked if he was pleased with the work. The
Mashgiach replied quite sincerely that what pleased him most
about the furniture was the fact that he hadn't used yeshiva
funds to pay for it.

His friend Rav Benzion Kugler once gave him a ride home from
the yeshiva in Yerushalayim. The Mashgiach asked him to drop
him off near his home in Givat Shaul. He then took another
ride to his destination in the nearby Har Nof neighborhood.
Some time later, after Rav Kugler had learned that the
Mashgiach was traveling on to Har Nof, he offered to take him
there himself explaining that it was no particular bother for
him.

HaRav Wolbe replied, "You take me home because that is the
yeshiva's obligation. They want me to come and must arrange
my return. My trip to Har Nof is for my own purposes and
under no circumstances will I have you going to any trouble
for it!"

Even in his later years he would not agree that anything
should be done for him in Yeshivas Givat Shaul (recently
renamed Mishkenos Yedidiah in his memory) that was not done
for all the bochurim. He did not want any special
foods or arrangements made for him and would say that
whatever was suitable for the bochurim of the yeshiva
was certainly suitable for him.

One year towards the end of his life a special seat was put
in his place for the Yomim Noraim. He sat on it for
Rosh Hashonoh but when Yom Kippur arrived he asked that it be
taken away. His grandson tried to persuade him to use it but
he adamantly refused and argued that everyone deserved to
have such a chair. When his grandson pointed out that he was
the oldest person present he replied, "I sat on it on Rosh
Hashonoh und shpeter hob ich gechapt as dos hot mir
geshtert mechavein zein (and later I realized that it
interfered with my kavonoh)."

During his last days he was clearly worrying about something
and his family tried to find out what it was. After repeated
requests he told them that not long before he had received a
Haggodoh shel Pesach to use at the seder and he
hadn't managed to pay the author who'd sent it. "Now I don't
know how I can find him and pay him . . ."

A Warm Heart and a Helping Hand

HaRav Wolbe told his talmid Rav B. Cahana that he had
once been at a different talmid's engagement and a
guest walked in who he didn't know at all, but who shook his
hand so warmly that he might have been a close friend.
"That's how people once were," the Mashgiach remarked. "They
would thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu for every additional
Yid they met, for being able to love yet another
Yid."

HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, rosh yeshivas Ateres Yisroel,
recalled the occasion decades ago when he tried to get a
bochur accepted to Be'er Yaakov. "Although the reply
was negative," he remembered, "the thought, the careful
weighing and the sensitivity with which he explained his
reasons, stole my heart."

The Mashgiach actively pursued opportunities to help others.
From time to time he would visit a home for the elderly and
lonely to raise their spirits. On more than one occasion he
brought needy individuals into his home to stay. He once
asked a talmid to pray that he should still have the
strength to engage in acts of kindness despite his advanced
age, because chesed is such a great mitzvah.

Neighbors relate that whenever he entered the building's main
entrance while children were also coming in he would hold the
door open and allow them all in first and only then would he
enter.

His neighbor Rav T. Jacobson recalls that the easiest way to
get the Mashgiach to leave his home was to invite him to
visit someone sick or to engage in some act of kindness. He
would never refuse such requests, nor would he start
deliberating whether or not he could manage it just then . .
.

Attaining the Highest Levels (2)

It is impossible to convey the huge efforts that the
Mashgiach invested in his prayers. He would say the
brochos that begin the morning prayers at home and
would regularly arrive at the yeshiva half an hour before the
prayers started. Every word was pronounced carefully, "as
though counting coins," and he kept his eyes on his
siddur for hours at a time. Afterwards he would be
exhausted from his efforts. To see him at prayer was a
powerful lesson.

He used to say that when Chazal identify prayer as one of the
most exalted things in the world (Brochos 6) they
refer to its power to elevate a person to sublime levels. The
need for constant effort in prayer was a subject that he
always spoke about, up until the very last week of his
life.

One day he told a grandchild that the only way to retain
something from a prayer is by spending a few minutes
afterwards thinking of some tangible result it has had. "I
have a set time to think about what I take away from the
day's prayers, when the prayers are over and I get into the
car. Everything is like that — only if one invests a
little thought can one come away with something."

Preparing for Prayer at the Kosel

Once during chol hamoed Pesach the suggestion was made
that the Mashgiach visit the Kosel Hama'arovi, after his not
having been there for decades. He agreed but asked for some
time to prepare. Before leaving, he took out Or
Yisroel and learned from it for half an hour; then he
said that he was ready to go to the Kosel.

A grandchild asked, "But at the Kosel there's the same
davening that we have three times a day."

The Mashgiach replied, "The Kosel Hama'arovi is where the
Shechinah rests. One has to be worthy of encountering
the Shechinah."

Following the visit he said, "I was at the Kosel for no
longer than five minutes. On my return an entire approach to
a complicated topic came to me. Only then did I realize that
it came from those five minutes that I spent at the
Kosel."

Why We Say Adon Olom (3)

He once remarked to a grandchild, "I don't know how it can be
explained to children and young bochurim that when we
stand in prayer we are literally standing before Hakodosh
Boruch Hu and must ensure that we don't do so crudely.

"This is apparent right at the beginning of the morning
prayers when we say Adon Olom. First we mention His
rule in the past and present until, "when all is finished, He
alone, awesomely will rule," speaking in general terms. Then
the focus suddenly changes and we speak about the Ribono
shel olom in personal terms: `He is my G-d and my living
Redeemer and the Rock of my portion . . . And He is my banner
and a refuge for me . . .' The relationship that each of us
has with the Creator is deeply personal. If that is how we
lead into our prayers, our whole approach would be like
that."

He once observed to his grandson that interestingly, the
better a person prays as a child, the more likely it is that
he'll continue finding novelty in each prayer in his maturity
and in old age.

"In Mir," he once said, "Reb Yeruchom used to lead the
evening prayers after he delivered his shmuess in the
yeshiva. The reason for this was that although his
shmuess greatly inspired all who heard it, there is
nothing like prayer for arousal and reinforcement. The
Mashgiach therefore wanted to make full use of the arousal
that his shmuess had created among the bochurim
and bring it to fruition in prayer to the Creator."

The Mashgiach was once asked how to prevent foreign thoughts
intruding during prayer. He asked the questioner, "Did it
ever happen that you were speaking to a friend and in mid-
conversation you started thinking about other things?
Certainly not! If you're fully aware that you're speaking to
Hakodosh Boruch Hu, your mind won't be able to
wander!"

His advice to an older talmid who had still not found
his match was that he should pray intensely, because prayer
pierces the heavens.

What did he mean by `pray intensely'? the talmid
asked.

"Crying," the Mashgiach replied. "I remember that after my
marriage I didn't find a chavrusa for several months.
One evening, I was so distressed that I burst out crying
while praying. The next day someone approached me and asked
me to learn with him. He was one of my best
chavrusas."

Always Learning from Gedolei Yisroel

The Mashgiach always actively sought and followed the counsel
of gedolei Yisroel. He once remarked, "Whenever I
could I travel to the Chazon Ish and the Steipler ztvk'l,
I would, to speak to them and to seek their advice." A
grandson who was listening asked him, "Could one speak to
them about avodas Hashem?"

"Of course," came the immediate reply. "One could ask them
anything and receive a pure Torah viewpoint."

His talmid Rav Homnick recalled the Mashgiach having
said, "There wasn't a person in the generation from whom
there was anything to learn whom I did not learn from."

It was quite a sight to see him at a relatively mature age
making the effort to travel to hear HaRav E. E. Dessler and
HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein ztvk'l and standing in fear
and awe listening to every word.

Even During Elul

Rav B. Z. Kook relates that he once asked for permission to
travel to Bnei Brak to ask the Steipler something, a request
to which the Mashgiach usually consented, even during Elul.
"When I entered I told the Kehillas Yaakov that I was a
talmid in Yeshivas Be'er Yaakov and that I had the
following question . . ."

"His response was, `Go to your mashgiach; he'll surely
be able to help you.'

"When I returned to the yeshiva and told this to the
Mashgiach he was upset and said, `Oi, I forgot to tell
you not to say where you learn . . .' "

Rav D. Abeles related that he went to ask the Steipler
something and after receiving the response, he asked for some
words of guidance for a chosson prior to his
chuppah. The Steipler told him, "There's someone
unique in giving this kind of advice — HaRav Wolbe. Go
to see him and you'll certainly find what you're looking
for."

The Shepherd who Brings All the Sheep into
Line

Whenever it was relevant throughout his life, he annulled his
own views in deference to those of gedolei Yisroel. As
president of Talmud Torah Chavas Daas he was convinced that
the first Chumash that young children learn should be
Vayikra because it is easier for them to understand
than the conventional study of Chumash Bereishis. He
heard though, that HaRav Shach did not share this view and
that in his opinion children should first learn the
parshiyos of Bereishis, which impart the
fundamentals of emunoh. He asked the Steipler, who
told him that he didn't recall the parshiyos of
Bereishis having been learned because they studied the
weekly parsha and the parshiyos of
Bereishis are usually read during the break for the
festivals, so that they didn't manage to learn them.

The Mashgiach repeated this to HaRav Shach, who nevertheless
did not agree. He maintained that the parshiyos of
Bereishis convey the foundation of emunoh,
which every child should grow up knowing. HaRav Wolbe set his
own views aside immediately and announced that the children
should be taught Bereishis first.

The following day, he delivered a shmuess in Yeshivas
Mir in the course of which he said, "We are a generation that
has a great leader; if one sheep strays from the flock he
raps it and brings it back into line." The audience didn't
understand what he meant but those close to him, who knew
what had happened the previous day, got the message.

His Thrice Daily Prayer

The extent of his self-annulment to HaRav Eliashiv was
astonishing. Whenever he had a query he would send his
relative Rav B. Z. Kook to consult the Rov and ask for his
opinion. A while ago, when he sought an opinion about an
important matter, he said that he really ought to go himself
to hear the response. He went in to HaRav Eliashiv and, as
soon as he walked in, said that he prayed three times a day
that the Rov should enjoy a long and good life. Then he spoke
to the Rov at length and after leaving, remained under the
impression of his tremendous admiration for the rest of the
day.

I Should Decide?

Very infrequently in his yeshiva, the question arose of
whether or not a particular bochur ought to be
expelled. On one such occasion, the rabbonim of the yeshiva
asked the Mashgiach for his consent to a painful step that
was necessary for the general welfare. In his modesty HaRav
Wolbe's reaction was "Am I the right person to decide
such a matter? Go to HaRav Steinman and ask him how you ought
to proceed."

To Bless Asher Cholak or Not?

After the Mashgiach eulogized his brother-in-law HaRav Boruch
Rosenberg zt'l in the Slobodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak,
his chaperone asked him if he would come to visit HaRav Chaim
Kanievsky. Initially the Mashgiach demurred, saying that he
had nothing in particular to ask Reb Chaim and that in the
past he wouldn't go to see the Chazon Ish or the Kehillas
Yaakov either, unless he had something to ask them. When he
was told that his visit would be an honor for Reb Chaim his
response was, "Why on earth should it be?"

Later he agreed to pay the visit. On the way he deliberated
over whether to make the brochoh ' . . .asher cholak . .
.(who has apportioned of His wisdom to those that fear
Him)' over Reb Chaim. He recalled having made the
brochoh with Hashem's Name, when he came before HaRav
Chaim Ozer Grodzensky zt'l, and Reb Chaim Ozer's
having responded, " Omein," whereas when he saw Reb
Boruch Ber zt'l he made the brochoh without
mentioning Hashem's Name. The Mashgiach put the question to
Reb Chaim himself, whose response was choliloh that he
should do so. Reb Chaim then asked the Mashgiach if he
remembered the time when the two of them shared a room in
Yeshivas Lomzha in Petach Tikva. Then, in utter self-
effacement HaRav Wolbe asked Reb Chaim to bless him and all
his family.

Rav Ben Zion Kugler recalled the time when Reb Chaim visited
Chavas Daas and related that he had been the Mashgiach's
roommate in Yeshivas Lomzha. When this was mentioned to the
Mashgiach, he was amazed. How did Reb Chaim remember such a
thing? He was never in the room because he sat learning all
the time. Perhaps he remembered it from the list that was
displayed at the beginning of each zman.

When Reb Ben Zion called on Reb Chaim some time later, he
told him what the Mashgiach had said. Reb Chaim responded
simply, "Do you think I was the masmid? The Mashgiach
was the masmid."

I Am Biased

A bochur once approached him for advice as to which
yeshiva he should go to learn in, Kol Torah or Maalos
HaTorah? The Mashgiach replied, "I can't tell you because I'm
biased; I deliver shmuessen in Kol Torah. But go to
HaRav Shmuel Auerbach [the Rosh Yeshiva of Maalos HaTorah!].
He'll tell you honestly which is more suitable for you."

In his last years, HaRav Wolbe often asked advice of his
friend HaRav Mordechai Zuckerman and would follow his
suggestions in all matters. They would have lengthy
discussions about topical issues and in a revealing moment
Rav Mordechai once remarked that he hoped that he would also
merit being HaRav Wolbe's neighbor in Olom Haboh, just
as he was in this world. (They lived close to each other in
the Givat Shaul neighborhood.)

When he wanted advice he would even consult his juniors or
inferiors and accept their opinion unequivocally. When he
wrote his sefer, Hamitzvos Hashekulos he deliberated
long and hard over whether or not to publish it. When members
of his family asked him what his doubts were, he said that
there would be many questions about the sefer and he
wouldn't have the energy to provide answers. When he learned
that someone who frequently visited him would be calling on a
distinguished rosh yeshiva he requested that he consult him.
The rosh yeshiva's response was that he ought to publish and
HaRav Wolbe did so without any further ado.

Why Carry a Gas Mask?

Rav B. Finkel recalled that during the Gulf War Israeli
citizens were advised to carry their gas masks with them
everywhere, but people mostly didn't pay attention. HaRav
Wolbe however, always had his mask over his shoulder. Meeting
Rav Finkel, he said, "You must be wondering why I'm going
about differently from everyone else. You surely know the
incident involving Rav Yisroel Salanter zt'l when he
refused to stand and speak in the usual place where other
speakers stood because there was a loose chandelier overhead
that could have fallen and . . .everybody deserves the death
penalty . . . I don't want to put myself in a position of
danger to life."

A Talmid Remembers . . .

Rav Moshe Samsonovitz, menahel ruchani of Kollel Beis
Abba in Kiryat Sefer and a close talmid of HaRav
Wolbe, recorded some of his recollections of Be'er Yaakov
under the Mashgiach's stewardship and has shared them with
Yated Ne'eman. Selected extracts accompany this
article.

The Value of a Lirah

The Mashgiach was careful about money. ("The money of
tzadikim is more precious to them than their own
physical well-being," Sotah 12.) Once in a
shmuess he loudly berated the bochurim who
traveled to Ramle to ride in a shared taxi to Yerushalayim
instead of going by bus. The whole difference in fare was one
lirah. At the time he said, "Someone who doesn't know
the value of a lirah will end up stealing money. It's
imperative to learn the value of money."

When we opened the Beis Hamussar in Yerushalayim I proposed
to the Mashgiach that he take a taxi at the Beis Hamussar's
expense but he refused. He would travel by bus to give his
vaadim.

A Talmid Remembers: Discussion Groups

The Mashgiach's purpose in holding the discussion groups
(vaadim) was to take a particular topic and work it
through over an extended period. The group members would make
a particular undertaking each week and would then discuss
among themselves whether or not it had been successful. The
Vaad was for bochurim only and meetings took
place in the Mashgiach's home; to avoid arousing jealousy,
the Mashgiach said that the idea to hold the vaadim
had come from the bochurim, not from him.

One of the topics that was discussed was impressionability
— the things that one ought to be impressed by and on
the other hand, when to remain unmoved by the environment and
other people's disparagement. This is the first hurdle that a
ben aliyah [a seeker of spiritual advancement] must
overcome. If you try to say bircas hamozone slowly,
your tablemates will look on you askance. If you try to spend
a little longer in prayer they will say that you've become a
tzaddik. That vaad afforded immunity against
the surroundings.

The Mashgiach told me that when he returned home to Berlin
from yeshiva and went to pray in the beis haknesses
the townsfolk realized that he'd changed and was praying like
a ben Torah. He heard one of them say to another,
"Don't worry, it's just the way of youngsters. By the time
he's twenty-two he'll take his head out of the clouds and
will be more realistic." The Mashgiach added that when he
turned twenty-two and was concerned that his yiras
Shomayim might really cool off, he took various measure
to bolster himself and make sure that it wouldn't happen,
chas vesholom.

A Talmid Remembers: Daily Prayers

I arrived in the yeshiva following the petiroh of
HaRav Eliyohu Lopian zt'l. The Mashgiach adopted his
practice of waking up the bochurim in the dormitory.
He would start saying Pesukei Dezimrah while he woke
up the bochurim and would arrive in the beis
hamedrash for Vayevoreich Dovid.

During the Amidah the Mashgiach would stand absolutely
still, in a state of emotional tranquility that brought him
to a state of prayer — standing before the Creator!
Utterly disconnected from whatever was happening in the world
. . . as I write I feel a longing for those minutes of [his]
Amidah.

On one occasion, the Mashgiach said that anyone whose prayers
always take him exactly the same amount of time is not truly
praying, for a person is human. How is it possible for him
not to sometimes be a little shorter and sometimes take a
little longer?

He once said in a shmuess: "[The posuk refers
to] `paths within their hearts' (Tehillim 84:6). There
are many paths within the heart. Sometimes prayer will be an
articulation of one's faith; sometimes it will be an
expression of mussar."

That is an accurate way to describe prayer in Be'er Yaakov.
Every prayer arose from an aroused inner state — "paths
within their hearts."

I never saw the Mashgiach swaying during the Amidah,
with the exception of one Rosh Hashonoh (I think it was
that of 5741) [when] suddenly he began swaying and also
started perspiring profusely. After fifteen minutes his
strength gave out and he sat down on a chair, then he got up
again and started [showing] external arousal — it was
an extraordinary occurrence.

Anyone who tasted prayer in Be'er Yaakov will long for it all
his life.